Deception Island is a tourist destination in Antarctica’s freezing South Shetland Islands, famous for its deserted whaling and research station. The whaling station was abandoned many times between 1931 and 1969 due to volcanic eruptions, leaving behind the beached boats and … Read More
Abandoned Places
Anping Tree House – Tainan City – Taiwan
Originally a British-owned merchant warehouse, this crumbling complex in Taiwan has been overtaken by nature—much to our visual delight. After the warehouse was vacated sometime in the 19th century, a nearby banyan tree forced its way through the building’s brick … Read More
Aniva Lighthouse – Russia
Aniva Island and its stately lighthouse were involved in a custody battle between Japan and Russia for around a century. The island flip-flopped many times between Russian ownership, Japanese ownership, and even a shared ownership. The Soviets finally took full … Read More
Sarajevo Olympic Village – Bosnia and Herzegovina
When Sarajevo hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1984, it was highly regarded for its natural beauty and skiing facilities. Then the Balkan war hit the city, and the Olympic Village became a graveyard of creaky chair lifts, weedy trails, and hotel ruins. Although … Read More
Bodie – California – United States – Ghost Town
Once home to 10,000 people, Bodie boomed in the 1870s and 1880s, when gold was found in the hills surrounding Mono Lake. It’s now a State Historic Park, with some parts of the town preserved in a state of “arrested decay”—think … Read More
Bannerman Castle – New York
Scottish immigrant Francis Bannerman achieved his American dream and made a mint collecting and selling army surplus goods (cannons, Civil War uniforms, etc.). After a major purchase following the Spanish-American Civil War, Bannerman had to find a larger space to … Read More
Six Flags – New Orleans – United States
The Six Flags in New Orleans was one of the architectural casualties of Hurricane Katrina. The park was flooded, and the water remained stagnant there for several weeks. The park is currently a pastel wasteland, full of skeletal roller coasters, … Read More
Eastern State Penitentiary – Philadelphia
The castle-like Eastern State Penitentiary was built in 1829 and immediately took solitary confinement to new levels. Prisoners lived alone, exercised alone, and ate alone; when an inmate left his cell, a guard would cover their head with a hood so he … Read More
Varosha Beach Resort – Famagusta – Cyprus
Once a popular beach destination for stars like Brigitte Bardot, the resort town of Varosha was abandoned during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Inhabitants never returned to the beach-side resort, which stands just two miles away from the … Read More
Teufelsberg – Berlin – Germany
Adjacent to bustling Berlin, Germany lies Teufelsberg, a now-abandoned Cold War listening station. The station sits on top of a 262-foot artificial hill called Devil’s Mountain—basically a pile of WWII rubble covering up a Nazi military college. NSA built the station on … Read More